A mom's adventures in keeping healthy, keeping her sanity, and making stuff.

Archive for the category “Gold’s Gym 12-week Challenge”

I decided to join the Gold’s Gym 12 Week Challenge. And I am using my Couch 2 5K training alongside the challenge. The C25K training (for those who do not know) is a nine week-long training session that should prepare a person for running a full 30 minutes without stopping.

I had my measurements done last Monday. And was pretty disappointed in myself on how out of shape I have allowed myself to get. This past year has been a hard one, and I really let myself just eat and lay about. So, this week was challenging in that I had to keep reminding myself that I was not allowed to have this or that. I didn’t totally take out treats, but I have definitely done better about keeping treats in their place. Treats are treats. Not a replacement for a meal or a snack.

Inadvertently, I also managed to eat strictly vegetarian Monday – Friday. With beans, quinoa, and dairy, I still managed to make sure my protein intake was really good (yay for FitnessPal!). It was really good for me. I try to eat more veggies, but I know I don’t eat enough, so a vegetarian menu really helped with that problem. However, I did have some issue with my sodium intake being a bit too much. Probably because I do use canned beans. Gonna have to try to use more dried. I don’t really add very much salt to my food, so that is where I believe the sodium levels are coming from. I will have to start adding recipes again. I made a 3 Bean Chili that was fantastic. Especially added to cauliflower tortillas (low carb, low-fat, high in vitamin C). I also experimented with a chickpea salad sandwich (think of the texture of egg or chicken salad with a more hummus-like taste) that I found on it doesn’t taste like chicken. That blog is pretty awesome if you need some easy vegan recipes.

On Week One of C25K: I did alright. I will actually be doing Day 3 tonight as I was not able to do it yesterday or Friday.

Overall, I am already feeling more energetic and I have already lost a few pounds. Not sure if I will win the 12 Week Challenge, but getting myself into it was definitely something good for me.

I don’t get on my big computer very much any more. I don’t like my littlest kids in the office with me, so that means I log on when they are both asleep. Which is usually when I am too tired to log on. I could type up a blog post on my iPad. However, I really hate typing things on a touch screen. So, I just don’t post as much as I had planned on posting.

My fitness journey came to a stand-still. My in-laws graciously paid for me to enter the Gold’s 12 Week Challenge. I feel bad that I have not made much progress on that, until last week. I used my 2 free training sessions. Holy cow. It was eye-opening. It also got me motivated to do better. Tonight I created a menu for the week (will not bore you with that) and a workout schedule (which I will bore you with heh. It’s my blog, deal with it.). My trainer and I worked on lower body one day. I did great with that. Then we did upper body… Yeah. Not so good. So, I am to work out my upper body twice a week and lower body once per week (on the weight machines. Upper body also includes core exercises like crunches). He wants me to schedule a follow-up in a month to see if I have made any progress. If I have, he has offered me another training session for free. Which is super awesome since they are usually $75 – $90 per one hour session.

So, here is my exercise plan. I try to give myself a few options since I have to keep my schedule pretty flexible:

Monday: BodyPump/Buoyancy Burn/BodyFlow
Tuesday: CXWorx/Run (trying for both)
Wednesday: Lower Body/RPM
Thursday: Run/Upper Body (both would be good)
Friday: BodyFlow
Saturday: Free Day – I usually spend this day with my family and try to catch up on housework/crafts.
Sunday: CXWorx/Run/Upper Body

Now that I have written it down for the world to see, I hope to keep up with it. This type of schedule should get me into shape for the Bloomsday Run in May. I need to get on track for that.

So, last Saturday I had my 6 week check-in for the Gold’s Gym 12 Week Challenge. Not great news, but not terrible, either. I lost a few pounds and a few inches. However, I also lost some muscle. Doh! Not at all what I was going for. However, I will go into more detail about how that came about later on. For now, I will post my stats:

Now, the reason this bit of difference doesn’t bother me is because it would appear that I am pregnant. Yay! I found out a few days after my weigh-in. I have decided to stay in the Challenge, not for weight loss, but to remain on a healthy schedule. I want this pregnancy to be healthier than my last one. I am hoping to keep diabetes away with a healthy diet and exercise regime. I really want to have a home birth with this one. I have done the hospital birth with my other two. I want to experience it on a more personal level. The healthier I am, the fewer complications I should have during pregnancy. Now, I will need to cool it with some of the classes in the near future. For now, here is my current work-out plan:

I want it noted that I am not just starting up on this exercise routine! I have kept up with my exercises 3 – 5 times per week. A pregnant woman should NEVER just start-up a physically taxing schedule if she is not used to it. It is harmful to her and to her baby.

I also plan to keep up with MyFitnessPal. Also, as mentioned above, not to lose weight, but to keep myself on a healthy diet. I will be changing my settings so that I will be getting slightly more calories. I have NO intentions of starving or harming this little baby in way, shape, or form. MyFitnessPal is able to tell how much more I need of certain vitamins, proteins, etc., and it will at the same time let me know if I have had too much of something. Love that app/website.

I also have an idea that has been brewing in my mind. I am going to start a page listing healthy, inexpensive recipes. Preferably easy ones. I got the idea from One Hungry Student. This blog is a group of college students posting cheap-o eating ideas. I remember my ramen days. Too well. I really wish I had had the knowledge then that I have now regarding cooking. And nutrition. So, that will be a future project.

While I am checking in, I will also give an update on my boys:

Sol is really making me proud. He is doing AWESOME in school. He reads about a book a day. I am loving it. Right now, he is in a challenge to read 10 hours to win theme park tickets (to a theme park we are already going to this summer – woot!). He has already read over 8 hours and there are still 20 days left in the contest. He has really become a great big brother. His little brother looks up to him. They both have a lot of fun playing games.

Sam is making strides in his therapy. He was recently given new goals since he has way surpassed his old ones. He still has a little catching up to do, but he is working on it. He has finally broken out of the 2% range for weight. He is now in the 10% range. He still looks too chubby to me to be that low, but whatever. He is healthy and he is happy.

So, today was my first day of the Gold’s Gym 12 Week Challenge. I got myself weighed, measured, and pictured. I will be writing down the measurements, but the pic will have to wait:

Weight: 170.8 lbs
BFI: 30.1
Waist: 36
Hip: 42
Thigh: 20

The Domestic Pagan would like us to do the measurements every week, but I am going to go only with the Gold’s measurements so I don’t use too many different pieces of equipment. I can tell you that my scale tells me a different weight than the one above (of course it will also tell me a different weight 5 minutes after I weigh myself). So, my measurements will come up again on March 3. Because my Gold’s Challenge started a few weeks after the Get Off Your Broom Challenge, I have decided to follow the Broom Challenge a few weeks behind.

The First Week:

“The Week One Mini-Challenges
I’ll be honest. This week’s mini-challenge isn’t really mini. It’s kind of big and has quite a few parts. I know it’s a lot of work already but in my opinion, these mini-challenges are probably the most important ones of all! They will be the foundation of your success.

First, I want you to take a before picture. Oh the horror! Don’t worry. I won’t be requiring that you post it if you don’t want to. However, you may want to post it at the end of the challenge when you have your after picture. It’s a great way to really see what you accomplish in the next 3 months.

Second, I want you to take your weight and the measurements of at least your hips, waist, and chest. Your thighs and arms are optional. You are doing both weight and measurements because this challenge is about fitness, not just about losing weight. If I lose 5 lbs but my waist hasn’t gotten smaller, than I know I haven’t truly succeeded. Now that you know your starting stats, what are your goals? What can you reasonably accomplish in the next 3 months but is challenging enough to keep you striving? You may even want to break your goals into 3 month increments.

Third, I want you to make a plan. This is the hardest of the three mini-challenges. There are so many diets and exercise plans out there that choosing one can be absolutely overwhelming. It may take some research on your part, but along with knowing where you are going (your goals) you need to know how to get there (your plan). Make this plan as simple or detailed as you would like. Maybe your plan is simply to cut sweets and exercise five times a week. Or maybe you have a plan that includes a comprehensive exercise program that includes cardio, yoga, and strength training and a vegetarian diet complete with menus and a list of superfoods that you should eat.” From Get Off Your Broom

First and second = done.

Third:

1. I am going to work on creating and sticking to a weekly menu that will be approx 1700 calories and contain plenty of fruits and veggies. I don’t want to make it lower since I am still breastfeeding. However, Sammi has started to wean himself. If he stops, then I will lower this to approx 1500/1600 calories.

2. I will get in some sort of exercise every day. Even if it is just a quick walk around the neighborhood. Workout schedule:

Sunday: run/hike Badger Mtn.

Monday: BodyPump/Buoyancy Burn

Tuesday: BodyCombat/Run

Wednesday: CXWorx/Yoga/Cardio & Weights

Thursday: Run

Friday: BodyFlow

Saturday: Cardio & Weights/run

I wanted to make this schedule somewhat flexible. I do like to have some other choices every once in a while.

My goals:

I will use MyFitness Pal every day.

I would like to get below 160 by the end of the 12 week challenge.

I want to gain better control over snacking. By the end of this challenge, I want my willpower to have control, not the cravings.

I will add more vegetables to my diet. Less carbs and sugars.

This seems like a pretty simple and straightforward plan, but I know that I will be struggling with them. My willpower needs bulking up as much as my flabby arms do.

I feel like I am following the whole New Year’s resolution thing. I have never been fond of that. I guess I have always felt I shouldn’t use the New Year to change something about me. If I truly wanted to change it, it should be a work-in-progress for life that should start at any time. In any case, all the health challenges seem to be starting up now. So, I am going to take advantage of them.

I am starting in on the new Get Off Your Broom challenge hosted by The Domestic Pagan. This challenge has already started (I just haven’t gotten online to blog about it, til now) as of January 1. It is a 3 month challenge. I am combining this with the Gold’s Gym 12-week Challenge. The Gold’s challenge doesn’t start until January 28. My biggest dilemma with the month time difference is actually the measurements. I would prefer to use the Gold’s measurements since I think they will be more accurate than my own fumbling one-handed with my tape measure and their scale is definitely more accurate than mine. This weekend, I will post my own measurements and I will weigh-in on one of the Gold’s scales to at least start off the Get Off Your Broom challenge. I can say for certain that I did horribly during Christmas with all the temptations. I had hoped to regain some semblance of will-power with the first round of Get Off Your Broom, but I was sorely lacking in that category. Maybe if I practice harder all year, I will be able to resist better next year…